New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Faint distant galaxies spotted by JWST may be closer than they appear
Because of a calibration update for one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s main cameras, research using the first few weeks of data from the observatory may be flawed
Categories: Astronomy
Simple chemistry can recycle polystyrene into more valuable products
UV light plus aluminium chloride as a catalyst can break down polystyrene so that it can be turned into a chemical used in fragrances and medicines
Categories: Astronomy
Using propane in air conditioners could prevent 0.1°C of warming
There are expected to be 3.7 billion air conditioners in operation by 2050. Using propane as the refrigerant could prevent a significant amount of climate warming by the end of the century
Categories: Astronomy
Zephyr solar-powered drone smashes record with 2-month-long flight
The Airbus Zephyr S, a military reconnaissance aircraft, has more than doubled the record it set in 2018 for an uncrewed flight duration
Categories: Astronomy
AI that recommends diets based on the microbiome relieves constipation
People with chronic constipation who ate an AI-recommended diet for six weeks had an average 2.5-fold increase in weekly complete bowel movements
Categories: Astronomy
A large nuclear war could leave 5 billion people without enough to eat
The after-effects of nuclear war would be catastrophic for agriculture. Simulations show billions of people could starve depending on the size of the conflict
Categories: Astronomy
People with half a brain removed do well at face and word recognition
Adults who had the left or right hemisphere of their brain removed as children to treat epileptic seizures had accuracy scores of over 80 per cent on word and face recognition tasks
Categories: Astronomy
Quantum computer made of 6 super-sized atoms could imitate the brain
Simulations of a quantum computer made of six rubidium atoms suggest it could run a simple brain-inspired algorithm that can learn to remember and make simple decisions
Categories: Astronomy
Saiga antelopes have increased 10-fold after mass die-off in 2015
More than a million large-nose antelopes now roam the Kazakhstan steppe, a big rebound from the 130,000 animals left after a fatal bacterial disease killed half of the population
Categories: Astronomy
Physicists work out how many moons Earth could have
Simulations suggest that Earth could theoretically host two more moons the size of the one we've got now, or several smaller moons
Categories: Astronomy
Monkeys in Bali use stones as sex toys to fill their leisure time
Male and female macaques in a Balinese sanctuary commonly use stone tools to masturbate, possibly because they have more leisure time than wild primates
Categories: Astronomy
Interstellar meteorite may be awaiting discovery on the sea floor
A pair of astronomers say that classified US government sensors detected an interstellar meteor hitting Earth in 2014. Now they want to mount a $1.6 million expedition to find fragments of it on the sea floor
Categories: Astronomy
Mars astronauts would get unsafe radiation doses even with shielding
Simulations show that a 1000-day mission to Mars would expose astronauts to radiation doses above 1 sievert, even with metal shielding
Categories: Astronomy
Covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy not linked to miscarriage or stillbirth
There has been a lack of clarity over the risks of covid-19 and vaccines against it during pregnancy throughout much of the pandemic, with research now overwhelmingly supporting that pregnant people get vaccinated
Categories: Astronomy
US CO2 shortage worsened by contaminated gas from an extinct volcano
An extinct volcano’s underground reservoir in Mississippi has supplied CO2 to US beverage makers and food processing companies for decades. But natural contamination has exacerbated an ongoing CO2 shortage
Categories: Astronomy
Ignition confirmed in a nuclear fusion experiment for the first time
A 2021 experiment achieved the landmark milestone of nuclear fusion ignition, which data analysis has now confirmed – but attempts to recreate it over the last year haven’t been able to reach ignition again
Categories: Astronomy
Losing parts of our voice box may have helped humans evolve to speak
Unlike people, 43 species of monkeys and apes are known to have so-called vocal membranes, which may prevent them from having precise voice control
Categories: Astronomy
Hovering robots could get more lift by 'treading water' in the air
Moving like an insect may not be the most efficient way for tiny flying robots to hover – they get more lift by taking advantage of vortices of air that form under their wings
Categories: Astronomy
Cornea made from pig collagen gives people who were blind 20/20 vision
Twenty people who were legally blind or visually impaired received a transplant of a cornea made from pig collagen. All of them had improved sight, including three who now have 20/20 vision after being legally blind
Categories: Astronomy
T. rex’s unusual eye sockets helped it evolve a powerful bite
Some large, meat-eating dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex had keyhole-shaped eye sockets, and reconstructions suggest this helped them bite with greater force
Categories: Astronomy